Tobacco leaf support and drier



Dec. 7, 1948. H. s. KIRKPATRICK I TOBACCO LEAF SUPPORT AND DRIER Filed Sept. 26, 1946 Zinventor z'wi' Patented Dec. 7, i948 The invention *relatesto tobacco leaf or poles, and driers and has for its object to provide meansfor intensifying and directing heat against the --slow drying nstems ef 1 :the tobacco, thereby raising the quality ofuthemtobacco, and preventing ov.er. -cur,ing,,of..the leavesin the attempt to properly cure the stems.

A further object is to provide a tobacco stick,

support, with. an open bottom heat gathering andlcollecting chamber, and means forattaching tobacco leaves to opposite sidesof the device in llajmanner whereby the intensified heat from within ithe 'ic'hambered ..member will be directed outwardly through the walls of the chambered l'fimbflintol contact. with wire: 1 stems of: the to bacco leaves supported on the outer side of the chambered member.

A further object is to provide the opposite sides of the chambered member with vertical grooves, having perforations therein, and in which grooves the tobacco stems are disposed for exposure to the intensified heat.

A further object is to provide prongs above the grooves, adapted to pierce the leaf stems, and support the leaves on the device during the assembling operation, and spring actuated clamp members for engaging the upper ends of the tobacco stems and holding the stems on the prongs and against displacement during a handling operation.

With the above and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawing, described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the device, taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the elongated pole, the ends of which are adapted to rest on horizontal bars in a barn for the curing operation. 7 i

The pole l extends through a downwardly flared heat collecting and tobacco leaf supporting member .2, having its lower end open, as at 3, and provided with a heat collecting chamber 4. It has been found, by providing a heatcollecting chamber, that the heatwithin the chamber is supports TOBACCOLEAFSUPPORTANUDRIER HiramSIKirkpatrick,Fayetteville, 0., Application September 26, 1946, ser al no. 699,429 1 eclaims. 1(01.

intensifiedllfori instance it mal conditionsrunder four toisix .days; a: collecting chamber Avis; used, thetemperature within the chamber willbe increased or intensiav fled to" about 160 degrees, orfslightly above, where a degree temperature is used in the barn; and the. present invention contemplates the utili-T ation of this intensified heat for drying the stems 5, which can usually be driedin about four hours;

To accomplish this result, theopposite sides or walls t of the, chambered member 2 areprovided. with downwardly. extending, channels 'l,whaving.-p

perforations 8. The stems of the leaves 9 are placed in the channels, and it will be seen that the hot or intensified air within the chamber 4 will pass through the perforations 8 into direct contact with the stems 5, hence the intensified or higher degree of heat will dry the stems rapidly consequently the high quality of the tobacco is maintained, and the drying operation reduced to a few hours in comparison with the present practice, requiring several days.

In operation, the operator places the stems 5, of the leaves, in the channels I, and secures the stemsin place by an inward push thereon,

against the struck-out prongs l0. After the leaves are assembled on one side the spring actuated clamping bar H, for that particular side, is lowered and maintained in clamped position by the coiled spring I2. Following this operation, the other side of the chambered member is filled with leaves in the same manner, and the clamping bar II is moved downwardly to a clamping position, as shown in Figure 2. It will be noted that the pivotal points 13 of the arms I4 of the clamping bars will bisect the springs I2 during the clamping and unclamping operation, hence it will be seen that the leaves may be easily and quickly clamped or released when desired. After the device is filled with leaves it is placed in a barn on the supports, using the ends of the pole.

The chambered body member is preferably formed in two sections, however it is to be understood it may be constructed from a single piece of metal stamped to form.

The stem receiving channels, preferably, taper downwardly to conform, as near as possible, to the downward taper of the leaf stems, to get a better concentration of heat on the tapering stems.

isuusual .to cure to. bacco leaves in a barn or warehouse at ,a=tem.-x1 pe ratureiof 100 degrees, so the bodies .of; the. leaveswill be cured .toa :yellowiicolor. Howevierjr the stems5 will not thoroughly cure .underlnore Wherew heated air may easily pass into the heat collecting chamber 4.

A further advantage of the device is; that asthe stems shrink, the clamping; rods: will be moved inwardly by their springs for maintaining the clamping operation, thereby preventingany of the leaves, which are supported on the device, k

from dropping on the barn floor around the? heatingielement and'causing'fire; It-wi'll also be seen that the leaves areindividually supported in the device; hence; after" the drying operation, the

clampingv bars can be raised and the leavesassorted in various: piles according to grade.

The invention having been" set forth what is claimed as newand useful'lis:

1'. A* tobacco leafdryingc rack comprising. an

inverted'hood having 1125511111181 side open so' heated air can be trapped therein, meansfor sup-x porting'itobacco leaves on saidthood with .their stems upwardly.- disposed; vmeansiwhereby trapped heated' air'will passthrough said hood sides into engagement with the stems of the leaves vertical stem receiving channels in the outer faces of Also the flared arrangement will spread the lower ends of the leaves apart so the the sides of the hood and heat pasages from the interior of the hood in the bottoms of the channels.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein opposite sides of the heat trapping hood are provided with vertical channels having perforations in the bottoms thereof.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the vertical stem receiving channels taper downwardly.

4'. A device as set forth-inclaim 1 wherein the means for holding the leaves on the hood comprises prongs for piercing the stems and spring actuated clamping,- members for engaging the stems after the piercing operation.

5:-A device as set forth in claim 1 including stem piercing members carried by the hood above the channels and spring actuated clamping membersiforengaging the stems after the piercing operation.

HIRAM- so KIRKPATRICK.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in: the" file of this patent:

UNITED STATESPATENTS Number Name Date 1 448,595 Snow Mar.,17, 1891 938,023 Sigler Qct. 26; 1909 1228556 Hesse June 5, 1917. 1,255,915 Mueller Feb'.' 12, 1918' 1,547,958 Ring July 28, 1925 1,982,990 Harris Decmi', 1934 1 ,992,857 Breedlove Reba-26,1935: 

